Word Origin Atlas

Exact historical dictionary sense

Middle in Webster's 1913 dictionary

The 1913 record labels middle as noun. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.

WEBSTER 1913noun
Middle

[AS. middel. See Middle, a.]

Cross-verified historical sense
The source text may be outdated. The page preserves that historical boundary.
Cross-verified 1913 record
Headwordmiddle
Part of speechnoun
Historical etymology[AS. middel. See Middle, a.]
Selected historical definitionThe point or part equally distant from the extremities or exterior limits, as of a line, a surface, or a solid; an intervening point or part in space, time, or order of series; the midst; central portion
Signed record IDwebster1913-middle-noun-c30c313d7287
Source locatorCIDE.M, paragraph 6209; Gutenberg eBook 665
Edition-scoped answerNot earliest-attestation proofNot modern consensus
Independent historical textProject Gutenberg section 665Signed structural record sourceGNU GCIDE 0.54 archive
Quick answer

In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "middle" is labeled noun. Its etymology is recorded as: "[AS. middel. See Middle, a.]" The selected historical definition says: "The point or part equally distant from the extremities or exterior limits, as of a line, a surface, or a solid; an intervening point or part in space, time, or order of series; the midst; central portion"

Project Gutenberg Webster 1913 plus signed GNU GCIDE 0.54 Exact cross-verified historical record reviewed 2026-09-05

What this answer proves

One named sense in one historical dictionary edition.

The answer reports the selected headword, part of speech, etymology, definition, and source locator as transcribed in the cross-verified 1913 record.

Evidence boundaryIt does not establish the earliest attestation or a complete borrowing chain.It does not claim current scholarly consensus or a modern dictionary definition.Historical dictionary text may be obsolete, incomplete, inaccurate, or offensive by modern standards.

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